Hebrews 11:17-28
17 By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, 18 even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” r 19 Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death.
20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future.
21 By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.
22 By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions concerning the burial of his bones.
23 By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.
24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. 25 He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. 27 By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. 28 By faith he kept the Passover and the application of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel. [1]
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What is striking in this passage today is the diversity of actions that are ascribed to faith. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses’ parents, and Moses himself are all said to act “by faith.” But it is quite a list of actions that are moved by faith, everything from saving a son, to sacrificing a son. But each were seeking to act by faith, that is, to live according to what they believed God wanted them to do at their time and in their lives
And I guess that’s the point for us today. How is God calling me to live by faith today? What are the actions that He is leading me to take? I am to see myself as God’s chosen child, beloved by Him, and placed by Him where I am in life to be His representative. And in this place, in my life, I am to live by faith, as much as those listed in this chapter. What does that mean? What am I to do?
Of course I don’t have a specific answer for each of us. This is a question for each to struggle with – often. The point is to be seeking the answer. The writer of this letter was encouraging his readers to live by faith, especially in the context of the persecution they were facing. What does it mean to live by faith in the peculiarities of my life today? This is something to spend time in prayer about, seeking the Lord’s leading.
So my prayer is that the Lord lead me and empower me to live by faith. I pray that He reveal to me what actions and decisions He is calling me to take at this time, and I pray that by the Holy Spirit’s work in my life that I may act by faith as He leads.
What is the Word leading you to pray about today?
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[1] The New International Version. (2011). (Heb 11:17–28). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
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